Method of knitting and warp-thread feeding means for use in knitting



April 9, 1935.

E. WILDT ET AL Filed NOV. 11, 1932 THOD OF KNIT'IIIIG AND WARP THREAD FEEDING MEANS FOR USE IN KNITTING Patented Apr. 9, 1935 p v I METHOD orxmrmo m WARP-THREAD; y FEEDlNG mANsFoR'usnmnNIT'r-mq I I :Edwmwimt and Hem-{Haroldj-lohnes Leicester, e a England, assignors .to Wildtand Company Lim I I fiited Leicester, England, alBritish company v Application Nwembern, 193,2,'se1ia No.-e42,246 v 1 v iniflreatnbritain Januaryi1,.1932. -L

1 3 lClaims. (01. 66-135) This invention consists in-improvements in or- Fig.3 illustrates diagrammatically the relative relating to knitted fabrics, tomethodsof knitting positions of the stitch-:c'am and the thread-release suchfabrics and to warpth-read feeding means portion :of the'thread -drawingiievice; 1 for use'in knitting, and is concerned with the Like reference niimerals indicatexlike parts in v 5 production of knitted goods having-whatissomethe drawing; I is I I l V i 1 times termed hon-laddering;properties. The In Figuralfivewarp-thread feeders are.:indi invention is an improvement in or a modification catedat l4 eachrsupplying. a Warp-thread in to a of that described and claimed in prior United needle and ihe ground-thread is'indicated at I States application for Letters Patent No.600,780, The needleon the extreme rightiis shown as 10 filed March 23, .l932 acconding to whichladderjust having received a wrappingrof warp-thread 1o proof knitted fabric comprises loops formed from and'in a position totake: the ground-thread H. I groundand warp-threads knitted together and The warp-thread .isiindicatediashavinghad its where desired warp-thread loops are sordisposed. tension just rel-easedand the etfectis asabove that theyrlie behind theground=threadfloopstso statedjthat'thewarp-thread tends tobulge'while, lsthat the latter-appearoncthefaceof'thefabrios thef'ground-threadcremains under tension with 5 According to'the present inventiomthemethod theiresult thattheywarp-thread naturally tends claimed in the aforesaid :prior specification to gotothe'frontof the needl'ehook'which is the modified in that the tension of a warp-thread, desired'flrelationship fcrmringing the ground-' after the latter has been passedround its needle, thread totheface of the fabricwhenthe combined 20, is released prior to theloop drawingoperation ground: and warp-thread loops have been knitted 2Q of the needle taking that thread so as to permit by the hook on the extreme left of Figure 1. e

the thread to bulge. The effect of this is that. in When a Warp-thread drawing device is embulging the warp-thread naturally tends to move ployed as described for example in prior British towards the front of the needle-hook, whereas Patent No. $64,039 it is preferred so to design the 5 the tension in the ground-thread tends to hold draw-01f member in that patent that it will rethe ground-thread to the back thereof thus posilease thewarp-threads prior tothe loop-drawing tioning the threads in the needle-hook in the deoperation of the needle and thus permits the sired relationship for bringing the ground-thread bulging to occur as described above. It is not to the face of the fabric afterthe combined loop intended to suggest that the draw-off member:

of warpand ground-threads has been knocked has a shape which will permit a sudden or rapid 39 over; release of the warp-thread, but whereas in the The present invention alsocomprises an im case of the prior patent above referred to the provement in that type of warp-thread feeding shapingof the release portion of the draw-off means (referred to herein as feeding means of a device was designed to keep the warp-thread relathetype described) having in combination tively taut and thus closely around the needle, 5

means to move the feeder to wrap the thread it will now be so shaped as to release or liberate round its needle and a thread-drawing deviceto the thread to a sufiicient extent, prior to the draw off a length of thread sufiicient for the loop-drawing operation, to enable .1 the warppp pe a W h u undue slack. thread to bulge slightly and sufficiently to ensure 40 According to this feature oftheinventiom'in that it will come readilyto the front of the 40 warp-thread feeding means of the type described ground-thread in the needle-hook. By this the thread draw-off device is shaped to release a means the slack provided in the warp-thread warp-thread prior to the loop-drawing operation will, as the needle descends, maintain the thread of the needletaking that thread. v in its frontal position throughout the loop-draw- In rder h t h v n i n m y bemore clearly ing: operation. The ground-thread willbe fed 45 u s d a preferred a pl w ow e d under some tension however slightand this will scribed with the aidofthe accompanying drawaid in compelling the warp-thread to roll into ing, in which l the requisite position.

Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates the'feed In addition to the release of the warp-thread ing of the warp-threads to the needles in such itsaccurate platingin rear of the ground-threadi'5 a manner as to release the tension of the thread is assisted by provision of a needle specially prior to the loop-drawing operation of the needle; shapedas shown in Figure 2. In this form of Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the hook porneedle the upper portionof the back is inclined tion of a specially shaped needle according to this forwardly as at 30 to present at the .top of the invention, and f I hook a somewhat peaked curve as contrasted with the usual type of rounded curve. As the needle descends to draw the combined loopof warpand ground-threads the release .of the warp-thread will enable it to spring to the top of the peakedhook whereas the tension of the ground-thread will draw that thread further down from the top. In Figure 2 the twoithreads 'of the old loop are shown near the'top of the needle and just prior to the operation of knocking over. a

It is to be understood that the bulge produced in the warp-thread at the time ofits release is the" direct result of the sprin y nature of the yarns such as artificial silk yarns, spun silk yarns] and the like, and the shape of the bulge and its size'will occur similarly at each operation provided that. the warp-thread draw-01f member is accurately shaped to give the required release at the proper time.

. priate needle l2 with the stitch-cam l5. ,7

the-direction of movement of which relatively to.

thewarp-threads is shown by the arrow. It will be seen that the threads are released by the member 34 at the position l6 and this occurs im mediately prior to the engagement of l the appro- It will beunderstood that asdesoribed in the British Patent No. 346,039, the thread feeders M- are flexible and are utilized to wrap the .warpthreads. round theuneedles'by'first passing each feeder through a gap between adjacent needles from oneside to the other of a bank thereof, then 7 deflecting it laterally and returning it in an oppo site direction between a' gap adjacent to that first the and immediately prior to the loop-drawing operation of the needle, releasing the tension on said penetrated by the feeder at the commencement of the wrapping movement. As the mechanism for moving the feeders of itself forms no part of the present invention it isno-t illustrated.

We claim:

1; A method of'knitting groundand warp- 1 threads which comprises wrapping a warp-thread round its needle, knitting the warp-thread to appear on the rear face of the fabric and, after warp-thread has been passed round-its needle thread in order to; permit the warp thread to bulge slightly, for the purpose described. 2. For a knitting machine, warp-thread feeding 'means comprising in combination a warpthread feeder, means to move the feeder to wrap its thread round an associated needle, a threaddraw-off cam which isadditional to the feederand operates to engage the warp-threads seriatim andwhich is, so shaped as to draw off suffi'cient yarnfor the. wrapping operation of each feeder.v

and to release the tension inveach'warp-thread immediatelyprior to the loop-drawing operations of :the associated needles. f

3., Fora knitting machine, warp-thread feeding means comprising in, combination a warp thread feeder, means to move the feeder to wrap its'thread-round an associated needle, a thread draw-offcam which is additional to the feeder vand'which engages the warp-threads seriatim I and which is shaped to, draw off sufficient yarn f for the wrapping operation of each feeder and to release each warp-thread after it has 1 been wrapped round its needle and immediately prior to .a loop-drawing operation ofvthe associated needle,'for the purpose described.

EDWIN WILDT. HENRY HAROLDl-IOLMES. 

